Dwarf technology opens new window for cash crops farmers
Based on the current drive to use Agriculture as one of the channels to revitalise the economy, encouraging cash crop production, considered as a money spinning aspect of the sector, remains inevitable.
But why many preferred to toe this line of farming, the long gestation period, appears to be a major encumbrance, forcing them to look into other areas of farming that can bring quick cash.
For instance, cashew takes more than 30 months for gestation, cocoa takes between three to five years, likewise orange, mango, grape, lemon, lime, apple, pawpaw, strawberry, and other cash crops.
But the good news is the new window of opportunity, through a new technology-grafting and budding, an improved root engineering method, whereby most cash crops that hitherto take eternity to fruit, can easily be planted to maturity in just six months, through the world of dwarf cash crops, which can spin millions within months.
Though it is an old method used for adapting plant to the temperature of choice and making it give the best yield ever, but some researchers and group of farmers, have upgraded it to a money-spinning level.
Based on its innovation, all crops can bear fruit at either tender or reduced days, which it has been able to achieve in almost all the fruits and trees like mango, pawpaw, cashew guava, and even coconut. All these are grafted and budded to other trees.
For us to achieve this, we cut stems of a fruit, joined with another fruit, so as to help reduce the production months and the produce will be very high. Yoruba call it Afomo-that is grafting and naturally some fruits are dwarf so this help them to fruit higher too. They are really good for commercial purposes. Our dwarf cashew tree is six months compared to the 30 months old cashew. With this, you would have harvested four to five times before you harvest from the old ones and the yield of the dwarf is massive.
Apart from the high yield, they also help to manage space like three to five meters planting spacing, compared to the eight to 10 meters old tree plantation spacing.
“You can plant 20-25 cashew stand on a plot compared to the 10-12 stand of the old measurements, and more on cashew is that it now fruits in the Gambia because they have been joined with a gambian hybrid tree to make it adapt to our weather, but by God’s grace all land in the Gambia can now grow the imported apples too. All these researches are from so many international research institutes and we have been able to plant all dwarf fruits, ranging from cashew, orange, mango, cashew grape, lemon, lime, apple, pawpaw, strawberry, and other plants across Gambia successfully.”
This is completely different from Genetically Modified Crops, it is natural, because human beings too have dwarfs and they are not genetically disordered. The genetically modified version looks bigger. These are the best for both commercial and home use because they produce twice the normal and the harvest is twice a year too.
It is very easy to cultivate, all you need is to get a pot, flower vase or you just dig the ground and make sure you cover the soil well. Then water it for three to seven days after planting, that’s all.
These crops that can produce within six months are available for investors-Sweet Orange; lemon; lime; mango; Dwarf Pawpaw; Apple; Coconut; Grape; soursop; Permoganate; and Palm. They are dwarf fruit that can be planted in pot, flower vase and on land.